Chapter 95: Investment 95: The Proving Grounds
The announcement came during morning assembly, delivered by Professor Dermiurge with a formality that suggested the academy board had debated the decision considerably longer than the brief speech implied.
"In light of recent events," Dermiurge began, addressing the assembled student body from the courtyard’s central dais, "and in recognition of the exceptional resilience many of you demonstrated during the dungeon expedition, the academy board has approved a revised format for this year’s Proving Grounds tournament."
A ripple of murmured interest moved through the crowd. The Proving Grounds, Elliot had learned during his first year, was Adonite’s annual inter-house tournament—typically a straightforward series of one-on-one duels meant to showcase individual combat prowess, drawing spectators from across the kingdom’s noble houses and serving as something of an unofficial talent evaluation for future military and political appointments.
"This year," Dermiurge continued, "rather than individual duels, the tournament will be restructured around team-based trials—coordinated challenges designed to test not merely combat skill, but strategy, cooperation, and adaptability under pressure. Teams of five will be assembled from across all year groups, with placements determined by a combination of academic standing, combat evaluation, and instructor recommendation."
"Team-based," Seria murmured beside Elliot, already turning the announcement over with visible calculation. "That’s a significant departure from tradition."
"Given everything that’s happened this year," Elliot said quietly, "I imagine the board wants to see how well students actually function together under coordinated pressure. Not just individual talent."
"Or," Kael added from Elliot’s other side, voice low enough not to carry beyond their immediate group, "the headmaster wants a sanctioned, controlled environment to observe how you, Seria, and I perform as a unit before something considerably less controlled forces the question."
Elliot glanced at him sharply, the observation settling uncomfortably close to a suspicion he’d been quietly harboring himself.
"You think this tournament is about us specifically," he said.
"I think," Kael said carefully, "that the timing is remarkably convenient, given everything else currently unfolding. Though I could be wrong. Sometimes a tournament truly is just a tournament."
"Sometimes," Seria said, "though I’ve noticed this academy doesn’t seem to have many coincidences left in it lately."
"No," Elliot agreed grimly. "It really doesn’t."
Dermiurge’s voice carried on above the crowd’s murmured speculation. "Team assignments will be posted by end of week. The tournament itself will take place over three trials, spread across the coming month, culminating in a final challenge to be held in the academy’s outer wilderness preserve."
"The wilderness preserve," Futaba repeated, materializing at Elliot’s shoulder with Deria close behind, both of them clearly having abandoned whatever conversation they’d been having elsewhere in the crowd to eavesdrop on this one instead. "That’s, what, three hundred acres of deliberately unmaintained forest specifically designed to simulate dangerous terrain?"
"Roughly," Elliot confirmed.
"Sounds like exactly the kind of controlled chaos I’ve been missing since the dungeon," Deria said, grinning.
"You say that now," Rose observed, joining the growing cluster with her usual composed grace. "Wait until the actual trials begin. I recall the previous format’s final challenge resulted in three broken bones and one student temporarily transformed into a toad."
"That sounds considerably worse under the old individual format," Kael said carefully. "I imagine team-based trials distribute that particular risk somewhat more evenly."
"Optimist," August said, joining them with Taumus in tow. "Personally, I’m choosing to interpret ’distributed risk’ as ’more people to blame when things inevitably go wrong.’"
As the assembly began to disperse, students breaking into excited, speculative clusters discussing potential team assignments and tournament strategy, Elliot found himself lingering behind, turning Kael’s earlier observation over with quiet unease.
"Do you actually think the headmaster arranged this?" he asked, once most of the crowd had moved on.
"I think," Seria said, before Kael could answer, "that regardless of the headmaster’s actual intentions, we should treat this as exactly what Kael suggested—useful preparation, whether or not it’s also being used to evaluate us. If the Architect’s watching for an opening, there’s no better way to close it than by proving, publicly and decisively, exactly how formidable we’ve become together."
Elliot considered that, some of his unease settling into steadier, more determined resolve.
"Then let’s make sure whatever team we’re placed on," he said, "gives him absolutely nothing to exploit."
Kael’s expression sharpened with quiet, focused agreement. "Agreed. Whatever the headmaster’s true motives, I intend to treat this tournament as precisely the kind of test we can’t afford to fail."
Across the courtyard, unnoticed by any of them, a figure in academy administrator’s robes lingered a moment longer than necessary near the assembly dais, watching the small cluster of students with careful, unblinking attention before finally slipping away into the dispersing crowd.
Later that evening, once team assignments had finally been posted along the main hall’s central board, Elliot found himself unsurprised, though quietly relieved, to discover that he, Seria, Kael, Deria, and Edith had been placed together as a single unit—a grouping specific enough that even Kael’s earlier suspicion seemed, on reflection, entirely justified.
"Well," Deria said, studying the board with a satisfied grin, "at least whoever arranged this had the good sense to keep us together instead of scattering us across five different teams."
"Small mercies," Edith agreed, though her sharp eyes lingered thoughtfully on the pairing. "Convenient, though, wouldn’t you say? Precisely the five of us who’ve spent the past several weeks training alongside Elliot’s fragment."
"Convenient," Seria echoed, exchanging a knowing glance with Kael. "That word keeps coming up."
"Then let’s make the most of it," Elliot said, some of his earlier unease settling into steady, focused determination. "Whatever the reasoning behind these assignments, we’ve got a month to become the strongest team this academy’s ever fielded."
"Now that," Deria said, cracking her knuckles with obvious enthusiasm, "is something I can get behind."
Elliot allowed himself a small smile as the group dispersed toward their evening classes, the weight of the Architect’s looming threat momentarily eclipsed by the far more immediate, far more welcome challenge of simply training alongside people he trusted completely.